Book Review: Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy     Amazon US PB Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB
Hazel Holt
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Cozy   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Sheila Malory # 10
Signet, Apr 2000, $5.99, 256 pp.

Somerset, England villager Sheila Malory is the author of several critically acclaimed books on nineteenth century novelists. She has also stayed in touch with several individuals from her days at Oxford, including the acclaimed author Dame Elizabeth Blackmore. Sheila considers Elizabeth such a close friend, she agrees to meet her buddy in London to catch up on each other’s lives. After their wonderful time together in London, Sheila looks forward to seeing Elizabeth some time soon, but before they meet again the latter dies due to a mix-up in the medications she was taking.

Sheila is stunned, but even more surprising to her is that Elizabeth has named her as the estate’s literary executor. This means spending an enormous amount of time sifting through the deceased’s papers to determine what should be published and writing the definitive biography. However, while digging through the papers, Sheila uncovers a secret that a certain party will kill to keep buried.

MRS. MALORY AND THE FATAL LEGACY is the fundamental British cozy that stimulates the mind of the reader. The warm heroine is a likable person who the audience will appreciate for her self-deprecating wit and willingness to seek out the truth even at the cost of bodily harm or death. Hazel Holt provides sub-genre fans with a first class novel that will send new fans seeking the previous Mrs. Malory stories.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner